Event Details

Late Registration is Open

Deepen Your Thinking

Math Team takes kids to the next level, celebrating and ambitiously building upon their abilities. We’ll share weekly challenges and collaboration, gain insights into the world of math and logic and statistics, and enjoy the friendly competition of the international Math Olympiad program. An important and valuable option for math-minded kids in upper elementary grades.

"We're thinking of a counting number N. When N is divided by 6 it leaves a remainder of 1. When N is divided by 11 it leaves a remainder of 6. What's the smallest that N could be? The second-smallest?"

Frequently Asked Questions about Math Team

Is this competitive?

Our program blends the structure of the venerable MOEMS program with our own unstructured custom explorations. The MOEMS program is a competition, but we do it as a gentle, friendly competition. We do not obsess over scores or even correct answers, so much as good thinking. That said, Marin kids typically do well and it's a buzz to receive honors in front of their schoolmates.

"Custom explorations"?

Bright kids ask really good questions. When they do, it's exciting to have a math-minded adult with the time to help guide and structure the discussion. Past explorations have included elections, March Madness, space science, Mendelian heredity, and how to cheat at cards.

Does this go all year?

The MOEMS competition season is November to March. We practice before & during, and we're free to explore after. You can sign up one term at a time, but the kids who enjoy Math Team typically do come back and do it throughout the school year.

Is Math Team right for my child?

Math Team is not for everyone, but for some kids it is a really big deal. How to know? We've found it works best when it comes from the child. If you have to make your child go, it might not be a fit. If your child begs you "PLEASE let me do Math Team," that's a good sign.

How about younger kids?

MOEMS gently recommends this for 4th and 5th graders. (We compete, and do well, against schools & teams with kids as old as 6th grade.) MOEMS cautions that "younger students can easily become afraid of math, rather than excited by it." For younger kids who like math, we're investigating appropriate enrichments and we'd love to get your help with our search.

How about girls?

In the six years we've been doing this, girls have competed at the very top level and have enjoyed it immensely. If your girl enjoys math, logic, statistics, and applications then she should feel right at home. PRO TIP: we've observed that girls enjoy it most when they go with a friend.

Yes, a little. The county's Mathletes program is a competition for 7th and 8th graders to solve individual and team problems, with each middle school sending a team of five. We love that! But we thought younger kids should have a competition of their own. So we curated various competitions and built our own program around the global Math Olympiad (MOEMS.org), now in its 40th year.

How is this different from school math?

School math is now built around the Common Core State Standards. In 2012 we met Dr. Phil Daro, one of the inventors of CC for Math. He convinced us that CC math is a big & welcome step forward for the majority of kids… but he was very clear that it does nothing specifically to address the needs of advanced learners. Where CC leaves off is where we begin. We'll make use of what your child learns in school and quickly go further.

This sounds fun, can I come, too?

Thought you'd never ask! Adults who have some connection to {math, stats, logic, applications} are very welcome, both as regular assistants and as special guests. If there's one thing MVGATE has learned, it's that Marin is full of remarkable adults who'd love to share what they know with bright, curious kids -- if only someone would ask them. We do.